5:43 AM,
Jun. 22, 2013

President Barack Obama is greeted by Gov. Chris Christie upon arrival at Atlantic City International Airport on Oct. 31.

Written by

Malia Rulon Herman
| @mrulon

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Friday continued defending his decision to welcome President Obama to his state to tour damage from superstorm Sandy - days before last year's presidential election.

Elected officials who engage in partisanship after disasters "just don't understand why they were put in office in the first place," Christie, a Republican, told people attending a national Conference on Volunteering and Service in Washington.

Christie was criticized by other Republicans for praising the president's leadership after Sandy and for a photo showing him and Obama hugging ...